Josh Cutler wins 6th Plymouth District defeating Karen Barry

Josh Cutler will be the first Democrat to represent the 6th Plymouth District in the Massachusetts Legislature. At about 8:45 p.m., Cutler said he received a phone call from his Republican opponent, Karen Barry, who conceded.

Josh Cutler will be the first Democrat to represent the 6th Plymouth District in the Massachusetts Legislature. At about 8:45 p.m., Cutler said he received a phone call from his Republican opponent, Karen Barry, who conceded.

The unofficial tally of votes has Cutler beating Barry 8,720 to 6,969 with all but one precinct reporting. The campaigns are still awaiting results from one of Duxbury's precincts.

This was Cutler’s second bid for the 6th Plymouth District seat. In 2010, he lost a close race to outgoing state Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Hanson. The district consists of Pembroke, Hanson and all but one precinct in Duxbury.

The district, realigned after the 2010 federal census, gained a precinct in Duxbury while losing its only precinct in Halifax.

Webster defeated Barry, who entered the race in August as a write-in candidate, in the Sept. 6 primary, but the five-term incumbent resigned four days later, citing personal reasons. The Massachusetts Republican Party quickly nominated Barry to take Webster’s place.

Barry, a Hanson native, is the daughter of former state Rep. Charles Mann, R-Hanson, who held the 6th Plymouth seat from 1980 to 1994.

The contest between Cutler and Barry began rather amicably. They were friendly to each other during their Sept. 20 debate on WATD radio, with hardly any discord between the two.

However, the campaigning turned negative in recent weeks. Barry accused Cutler of trying to disguise himself as a moderate Democrat, even though he’s received endorsements from union groups and other liberal organizations such as MassEquality, which promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender causes.

Cutler said Barry and her supporters were using radical, Tea Party-like campaign tactics to try to mar his candidacy. For example, he pointed to a mailer recently sent out by the Massachusetts Republican Party insinuating that Cutler supports taxpayer-funded, sex-change operations for prisoners.

Cutler said he doesn’t support taxpayer-funded, sex-change operations for prisoners.